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Bass Player Pic Haters
- Thread starter deepBassie
- Start date
I get a lot of pictures of me on stage, mostly because I'm doing something dumb and funny. But our drummer gets the most compliments because: A. she kicks ass, B. she is a girl, C. she kicks ass. Actually had a fan tell our lead guitarist to move because she couldn't see her.
This is the funniest thing I've heard today.
I'm not in a band, but when I jam with my brother, pop in law and brother's friend, they always tell me to go away. Probably because I'm 6'2, 400lbs and my bass is bigger than my brother.
Get yourself in a funk and/or urban gospel group. Bassists are usually some of the most popular instrumentalists in those 2 genres.
I look like I play better than I sound like I play. So I'm in a lot of the pictures but they turn me way down in the mix. That's fair.
--Bomb
--Bomb
it happens to me too. people say "how come you are not really shown in the videos? " i watched panteras "im broken" video, there is barely a good shot of him in the whole video. but in the "down" band videos, he is showcased lol. i cant figure it out. i have noticed other things as well... if the bassist happens to be the singer- the bass is more apparent and u can hear it well on records. if your not the singer you get buried... lol. it could be worse... im glad i didnt take up the trumpet hahaha.
Hmmm.... Actually, the problem with bassists who don't attract enough attention is that they don't act like the trumpet player archetype in Bill Anschell's guide:
Be like that (except for the strange indentation and the "as high as possible" part, replace that with "as low and thunderous as possible"), and you'll have all the attention you could ever crave.
Be image-conscious. Walk with a swagger. If you're not a former college linebacker, at least look like you are. Sing. Be loud and thunderous. Confess that your favorite player is Frank DeNunzio, the merciless God of... well... this, whatever you want to call this:
Get a skeleton suit.
THIS
Hey, this is what the late great John Entwistle had to do to get noticed.
The situation doesn't always change even when your band hits it big.
In every Judas Priest video ever made, there's a grand total of about four seconds of Ian Hill in each of 'em.
In every Judas Priest video ever made, there's a grand total of about four seconds of Ian Hill in each of 'em.
Well lets look at this in your average rock context for a second...
Lead singer - Pretty obvious as singers are the center of attention for most of the song.
Guitarist - Guitar solos, and some ego
Drummers - Drum solos and takes up half the stage so in more pics by default
Bass player - Plays the song
These are all generalizations but you get the idea.
So either you need to find yourself a more sympathetic photographer or you need to work on your stage presence. Having a girlfriend/boyfriend/spouse be the photographer is good and cheap but the majority of the pics will be of their honey and not evenely distrubeted throughout the band. Become more of an entity within your band, don't hide at the back of the stage and stare at your fretboard all night. Go up front and say hi and let the audience know that your there. Find a signature schtick of your own. Steve Harris from Iron Maiden runs all over the place and does a "shoot the audience with his bass" thing. Stupid, kinda, but fun and recognizable. By being more up front and more active on stage they wont be able to ignore you.
From a playing perspective, give yourself some more expressive wiggle room by changing things up a bit on how you play the different sections of the song; i.e. play verse 2 differently than how you play verse 1, and throw in a few fills. If it's an originals act, don't let anyone write your parts for you. Unless they are very good musically/compositionally, they will always leave bass parts to last and you'll get stuck in a "ride the root note" box more often then not.
Lead singer - Pretty obvious as singers are the center of attention for most of the song.
Guitarist - Guitar solos, and some ego
Drummers - Drum solos and takes up half the stage so in more pics by default
Bass player - Plays the song
These are all generalizations but you get the idea.
So either you need to find yourself a more sympathetic photographer or you need to work on your stage presence. Having a girlfriend/boyfriend/spouse be the photographer is good and cheap but the majority of the pics will be of their honey and not evenely distrubeted throughout the band. Become more of an entity within your band, don't hide at the back of the stage and stare at your fretboard all night. Go up front and say hi and let the audience know that your there. Find a signature schtick of your own. Steve Harris from Iron Maiden runs all over the place and does a "shoot the audience with his bass" thing. Stupid, kinda, but fun and recognizable. By being more up front and more active on stage they wont be able to ignore you.
From a playing perspective, give yourself some more expressive wiggle room by changing things up a bit on how you play the different sections of the song; i.e. play verse 2 differently than how you play verse 1, and throw in a few fills. If it's an originals act, don't let anyone write your parts for you. Unless they are very good musically/compositionally, they will always leave bass parts to last and you'll get stuck in a "ride the root note" box more often then not.
When I was gigging in my best group the other guys always got pissed because I got most of the attention, especially from the better lookin' ladies. I wasn't necessarily better looking than any of them, I just have presence. And charm. And I play hard to get. That had them all wondering what I was all about. Plus I would slap the living sh*t out of my bass and that always garnered some looks.
I don't think good looks always have a lot to do with it, I can prove that by many examples I have seen in the past. You just have to be cool, confident, secretive, and suave.
Oh, and play like you mean it, even if you think you can't.
I don't think good looks always have a lot to do with it, I can prove that by many examples I have seen in the past. You just have to be cool, confident, secretive, and suave.
Oh, and play like you mean it, even if you think you can't.
Disagree with this. I see a lot of bass players standing there....with their basses strapped just below their chin...anchored to a single spot on the stage. Those guys are going to get virtually no attention....and deservedly so in my opinion. Not because they're playing bass....but because they are about as interesting to watch as paint drying (and in some cases, watching paint dry would be more preferable).
If you want attention (and not everybody does), then go out and grab it. Move on stage. Be interesting. Engage the audience and your bandmates. Ham it up. Or...stand in the back staring at your fretboard wondering why the bass player never gets any love.
i do alright in pictures. im used to playing pretty small places, so theres rarely less than 2 people in the shot. in my last band i was the "business" guy and the people taking pictures were always MY friends. i got in plenty.
i was also prone to taking my shirt off, spiking my hair up super high and doing all the scream vocals. people paid attention
even when we got a little less punk rock, i was too on top of the mix to ignore.
i was also prone to taking my shirt off, spiking my hair up super high and doing all the scream vocals. people paid attention
even when we got a little less punk rock, i was too on top of the mix to ignore.
I don't get that much attention with the band, but if i do its because I'm the youngest, and because im the tallest!
Good stuff my bass brethren. I sing backup vocals and lay down some pretty good licks so it's gotta be my stage act. So, to quote Terrible Ted, "When in doubt, I'll whip it out". Fine words to live by.
